“Born to Run” is a remarkable album that somehow survives a few serious contradictions.

The album implies an aura of freedom, but the overall mood is claustrophobic. It has the feel of an expansive rock and roll record, but the arrangements are so tight that they leave no room for expansion. Everything is already as big as it can possibly be, to the point where attentive listeners get caught up in its tension.

Freedom is the ideal, but frustration runs rampant. Obsession and passion are the drivers for every syllable that Springsteen sings, and yet the net results are frustration and failure, where your efforts lead to nowhere and you wind up “wounded, not even dead”. The intense arrangements create a vacuum that sucks all the oxygen from the room, but the songs are so strong and identifiable that listeners can envision themselves as part of the script.

The world is a ruthless place. What makes “Born to Run” so magnificent is that it offers a means of survival in a world where your best efforts will likely fail but you can at least feel better knowing that you tried, and that you aren’t alone.

Featured tracks:

Thunder Road

Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out

Night

Backstreets

Born to Run

She's the One

Meeting Across the River

Jungleland

August 1975 - Billboard Charted #3